Kontakt 2023, 25(4):339-345 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2023.039

"Let's just die together, Mom": Family caregivers' responses to caring for elderly people with dementiaSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Rita Hadi Widyastuti1, 3, Junaiti Sahar1, *, Etty Rekawati1, Aria Kekalih2
1 Universitas Indonesia in Jalan Prof. Dr. Bahder Djohan, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Community Nursing, Depok, West Java, Indonesia
2 University of Indonesia, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, Jakarta, Indonesia
3 Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

Introduction: Elderly people with dementia are highly dependent on caregivers; they require more assistance and supervision as the disease progresses and its severity increases. Family caregivers have different responses to caring for elderly people with dementia. This study aimed to explore Indonesian family caregivers' responses to caring for elderly people with dementia.

Methods: A qualitative research design was selected for this study. On the basis of semi-structured interviews, a descriptive phenomenological study was conducted among 15 purposively-recruited family caregivers.

Results: Three main themes and eight sub-themes emerged from the data. The first theme was family caregivers' perceptions of dementia. The sub-themes were that dementia is a common disease due to the aging process, and dementia is a disease due to Parkinson's, stroke, stress, and loneliness. The second theme was the meaning of caring for elderly people with dementia. The sub-themes were that obligation to care for older people with dementia, form of filial piety and the spiritual meaning of caring for older people with dementia. The third theme was the process of acceptance in taking on the role of caregiver to an elderly person with dementia. The sub-themes were that denial, depression, and acceptance.

Conclusion: Each of these themes has a cultural and spiritual dimension, and caregivers require professional assistance from health workers that accounts for these dimensions of caregiving. Likewise, it is important to identify depression in family caregivers so that suitable interventions can be provided.

Keywords: Dementia; Elderly people; Family caregiver; Indonesia; Response
Grants and funding:

The authors would like to thank all the participants, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (through a Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant with number: NKB-899/UN2.RST/HKP.05.00/2022) and Universitas Diponegoro for providing educational scholarships.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: April 4, 2023; Revised: August 18, 2023; Accepted: October 31, 2023; Prepublished online: November 1, 2023; Published: December 18, 2023  Show citation

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Widyastuti RH, Sahar J, Rekawati E, Kekalih A. "Let's just die together, Mom": Family caregivers' responses to caring for elderly people with dementia. Kontakt. 2023;25(4):339-345. doi: 10.32725/kont.2023.039.
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